Solomon, Paul

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Paul Solomon lives in New York City. During the current academic year, he is on sabbatical leave. Among other projects, he is making revisions to the book he wrote in 2020, titled, Inventing the World: How Art Creates Reality, scheduled for publication in 2022 by Cognella. Solomon is also doing new research in the field of medical humanities. 

Paul Solomon teaches primarily at Western Michigan University, where he is professor of art at the Frostic School of Art and director of the interdisciplinary program called Direct Encounter with the Arts. He is also Adjunct Community Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities and Law at Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. There, he teaches the course he created called The Skilled Observer in Art and Science. Solomon was honored with two awards for my work as a teaching professor: The Innovative Teaching Award for development of outstanding online education at WMU in 2017; and the Western Michigan University Distinguished Teaching Award, in 2014.  

Paul Solomon enjoys talking with diverse audiences about cross disciplinary topics in art, science and medicine. During the year before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was a guest speaker at the Mayo Clinic, UCSF Medical Center, the Arts Schools Network Conference, the College Art Association Conference, and the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University. 

Solomon grew up in New Jersey, collecting minerals and butterflies and frequently visiting Thomas Edison’s laboratories and the Museum of Natural History. He earned a BFA degree from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA from The Ohio State University. During much of the 1980’s and 1990’s, he ran a photographic business in New York City. Solomon also taught photojournalism as an adjunct professor in the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His specialty was photographing in Italy for clients including European Travel and Life Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, The American Express Company, and Alitalia Airlines. He continues to complete photographic commissions as well as self-assigned projects. During 2013-2016 he created a series called “Boundaries of Eden,” photographed with the iPhone 4 and 5. This work was seen in a one-person exhibition in Chicago in 2013, and featured in exhibitions in Manhattan and on Governors Island, New York, in 2014 and 2015. 

In addition to photography of every type, Solomon has produced large scale site-specific installations and events; video projects; and a couple of plays, working collaboratively with choreographers, dancers, theatre professionals, and musicians, as well as the occasional lumberjack or apiarist. 

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